


My Own Brew

by celtic7irish



Series: Tony Stark Bingo 2019 [8]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: College AU, Gen, Pre-Relationship, Rhodey Is a Good Bro, coffee shop AU, sam is a good bro
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-02
Updated: 2019-09-02
Packaged: 2020-10-05 08:42:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20486063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/celtic7irish/pseuds/celtic7irish
Summary: “Rhodey,” Tony whined, glaring up at the shop sign, “why are we here again?”His friend grinned at him.  “Because this place has the best coffee in town,” he told Tony, for probably the sixth time in the last ten minutes.  And yet it didn’t seem to be dampening his cheer in the least.“No,” Tony protested.  “No.  Jumpstart has the best coffee. I should know.”Rhodey grinned.  “Trust me,” he countered, and Tony rolled his eyes, but acquiesced.  Besides, they were already here.“Fine. But you’re paying,” he told Rhodey, who just chuckled.“Always do!”





	My Own Brew

**Author's Note:**

> For Tony Stark Bingo Square A3: Free Space

“Rhodey,” Tony whined, glaring up at the shop sign, “why are we here again?”

His friend grinned at him. “Because this place has the best coffee in town,” he told Tony, for probably the sixth time in the last ten minutes. And yet it didn’t seem to be dampening his cheer in the least.

“No,” Tony protested. “No. Jumpstart has the best coffee. I should know.”

Rhodey grinned. “Trust me,” he countered, and Tony rolled his eyes, but acquiesced. Besides, they were already here.

“Fine. But you’re paying,” he told Rhodey, who just chuckled.

“Always do!”

And that was true, really. Despite the fact that Tony was rather obscenely wealthy, Rhodey had always picked up the tab for their morning coffee. It made something warm settle deep in Tony’s chest.

The chime above the door of  _ My Own Brew  _ jingled merrily as they stepped inside, surrounded immediately by warmth and the rich scent of coffee. Tony looked around the small shop, noting the clean lines and simple set up. There was a reading nook, filled with comfortable-looking chairs around an electric fireplace, bookshelves with well-worn reading materials sitting on them. The booths and tables were made of wood, chipped and worn, but clean and well taken care of.

“Hey, Rhodes!” a male voice called out from behind the counter, and Tony turned to look at the guy behind the counter, who was grinning at them.

“Sam!” Rhodey greeted, clapping one hand on Tony’s shoulder. “This is Tony. The guy I was talking about.”

Sam looked over at Tony, appraising him. “The caffeine addict?” he said, then glanced at Rhodey. “So the Special, then.” Tony could practically  _ hear  _ the capital letters.

“What’s the special?” he asked, even as Rhodey gave him a gentle push towards one of the booths. Tony let himself be guided to a set, tapping his fingers on the table top. “You’ve been here before,” he accused.

Rhodey grinned. “Yeah, Sam’s a good guy. We’re in the same Aerodynamics course. He wants to works special ops. Pararescue, I think.”

Tony grinned. “Oh, now I see,” he teased his friend. “Army buddies.”

“Air force,” Rhodey corrected primly, and Tony laughed. Rhodey’s laughter joined him a moment later, and the two men settled in to wait for their coffee, chatting about nothing in particular. It was Saturday, so they had a few hours before they had to settle in and get their schoolwork done. Besides, Tony didn’t function without coffee, and the three block hike to  _ My Own Brew  _ had only happened under protest. And because Tony couldn’t say no to Rhodey, especially when he was half-asleep.

“Sorry for the wait,” a male voice broke in, a smooth drawl that instantly captured Tony’s attention. The brunette looked up into the most gorgeous pair of silver-blue eyes he’d ever seen, set in a handsome, chiseled face and framed by long, shoulder length hair. Tony felt his mouth drop open, but nothing came out.

The barista set two cups of coffee on the table, offering the two of them a smile. “Please, enjoy,” he told them, then went to withdraw.

“Wait!” Tony blurted, making the barista pause. “I...what’s your name?” he asked, not the least bit smooth.

The barista pointed at his chest, and it took Tony a minute to realize that there was a nametag there that read  _ Bucky  _ . “Oh, yes, of course,” he stammered, feeling his face heat in embarrassment. Of course there was a nametag.

Bucky chuckled, soft and low. “It’s all right,” he reassured Tony. “At least you didn’t tease me about it.” He shot a sour glance at Rhodey, who just grinned at him unrepentantly.

Tony bit his lip. The barista was still standing there, so maybe he hadn’t blown it, after all. He glanced over at Rhodey, who gave him an encouraging grin. “Yes, well, Rhodey’s an ass,” he said, glancing up at Bucky. “The first time we met, he asked me if I met height requirements for university.”

Bucky laughed outright at that, and Tony grinned, pleased. “Sounds like someone I know,” he said, throwing a dark glare over his shoulder at Sam, who just waved cheerfully and went back to taking orders from the group of teenagers that had just walked into the shop.

Tony took a deep breath. What was the worst that could happen, right? “Are you free tonight?” he asked hopefully. “Maybe we could talk?”

Bucky smiled. “You haven’t even tried your coffee yet,” he pointed out, but he made no move to leave, so Tony popped off the cap and took a careful sip, because despite what Rhodey said, he didn’t actually  _ mean  _ to burn his tongue.

As the first rich taste exploded over his tongue, Tony moaned out loud. “Oh my god,” he said, then buried his face in the cup, drinking happily.

Rhodey was smirking when he looked up again. “Told you,” he declared smugly, then tipped his head to the side. Tony looked over at the barista, who was standing there with his mouth gaping open.

Tony blushed. “Um...it’s a really good coffee?” he offered weakly.

Bucky blinked, recovering, then smiled at him. “Well,” he said, “I suppose I have a bit of time to spend with a guy who appreciates a good cup of coffee.” He set a piece of paper down on the table and gave Tony a wink before walking back to the counter. Tony felt absolutely no shame gawking at him as he walked away.

“So?” Rhodey needled. “Did I call it or what?”

Tony rolled his eyes, but conceded the point. “Fine,” he grumbled. “My Own Brew is the best coffee shop in town.” Which meant that he’d be participating in Rhodey’s group study session for the next week.

Rhodey leaned forward conspiratorially. “Did I mention that Sam’s planning to bring Bucky? They’re in the same Calculus class.”

Tony blinked. He looked at Rhodey, then across the shop where Bucky was serving four teenage girls, smiling and chatting as he delivered their coffees. 

“Yeah, okay.”

  
  



End file.
